The invention relates to a massaging apparatus with a casing comprising casing walls, part of which, can be placed on the skin of a user during operation of the massaging apparatus and moved over the skin, and with a suction chamber which opens towards the part of the casing walls which can be placed on the skin of the user and is bounded by suction chamber walls which transform into the casing walls in a transitional area.
A massaging apparatus according to the type stated in the first paragraph above is disclosed in patent document U.S. Pat. No. 6,017,320 (PHO96508) and therefore known. Patent document U.S. Pat. No. 6,017,320 states that it has proved advantageous for the suction chamber walls to be designed rough and here have a roughness in a range between 4 xcexcm and 8 xcexcm. Patent document U.S. Pat. No. 6,017,320 gives no further information on the roughness of the casing walls and that part of the casing walls which is placed on the skin of the user during operation of the massaging apparatus, or on the roughness in the transitional area between the suction chamber walls and the part of the casing walls which transforms into the suction chamber walls in the transitional area. In this context, however, it should be noted that in a massaging apparatus marketed by applicant which corresponds to the massaging apparatus disclosed in patent document U.S. Pat. No. 6,017,320, the casing walls, and hence also that part of the casing walls which can be placed on the skin of the user during operation of the massaging apparatus, have a high gloss finish which in other words means that the roughness lies in a range between 0.025 xcexcm and 0.05 xcexcm. Because of the presence of this roughness on the known massaging apparatus, during operation of the massaging apparatus and the associated movements of the massaging apparatus over the skin of the user, the smoothness of the high gloss part of the casing walls placed on the skin of the user during operation, gives rise to an adhesion effect which has a detrimental influence on, and in extreme cases even unpleasantly impedes, the ease of movement of the massaging apparatus over the skin of the user.
It is an object of the invention to eliminate the above problem and to provide an improved massaging apparatus.
This object is achieved by a massaging apparatus according to the invention having features of to the invention such that it can be characterized as stated hereinafter:
A massaging apparatus with a casing comprising casing walls, part of which can be placed on the skin of the user during operation of the massaging apparatus and moved over the skin, and with a suction chamber which is designed to open towards the part of the casing walls which can be placed on the skin of the user and is bounded by the suction chamber walls, at least part of which transform, in a transitional area, into the part of the casing walls which can be placed on the skin of the user, where the part of the casing walls which can be placed on the skin of the user is at least mainly rough in finish, where the roughness has a value of 10 xcexcm at the most and where a roughness of 0.4 xcexcm at the most is present in the transitional area.
By provision of the features according to the invention it is possible, in a constructionally simple manner and with means easy to produce, to avoid an adhesion effect between the part of the casing walls placed on the skin of the user during operation and the user""s skin, during movement of the massaging apparatus over the skin, so that it is ensured that the massaging apparatus can always be moved over the user""s skin evenly and without detrimental hindrance. In a massaging apparatus according to the invention, an additional advantage is achieved, for the case where the roughness of the part of the casing wall which can be applied to the user""s skin is selected in a range between 3.0 xcexcm and 10 xcexcm, that is, the advantage that with this roughness an additional scraping effect is achieved. In specialist circles this effect is known as xe2x80x9cpeelingxe2x80x9d. By the provision of the features according to the invention it is also guaranteed that, despite the rough structure of the part of the casing walls placed on the user""s skin during operation of the massaging apparatus, a perfect seal is always obtained between the skin of the user and the areas of the suction chamber walls interacting with the skin of the user, so that a good and effective massage effect is always guaranteed by means of the suction chamber or the reduced pressure generated in the suction chamber.
In a massaging apparatus according to the invention the roughness of the part of the casing walls which can be applied to the skin of the user lies in a range between 1.0 xcexcm and 3.2 xcexcm; for these values easy maneuverability of the massaging apparatus over the user""s skin is guaranteed. In a massaging apparatus according to the invention however, it has proved highly advantageous if the roughness of the part of the casing walls which can be applied to the skin of the user lies in a range between 2.5 xcexcm and 4.0 xcexcm. These values have proved to be the most suitable roughness values in such a massaging apparatus during frequent testing.
For a massaging apparatus according to the invention it has also proved to be highly advantageous if the roughness in the transitional area lies in a range between 0.025 and 0.05 xcexcm. This roughness corresponds to a so-called high gloss finish.
With regard to the transitional area and the roughness in this transitional area, it should be stated here that the suction chamber and the casing of the massaging apparatus can be formed both as one piece and in the form of two separate pieces. When formed as two pieces, said transitional area with a roughness of 0.4 xcexcm at the most can lie either in a part of the casing walls in the transitional area or in a part of the suction chamber walls in the transitional area, in both cases it must then be ensured that a perfect seal exists between the two adjacent separate pieces.
For a massaging apparatus according to the invention it has proved particularly advantageous if the roughness of 0.4 xcexcm at the most in the transitional area is provided in a ring-like closed end zone of the suction chamber walls. On operation of the massaging apparatus such a design ensures a particularly good seal between the user""s skin and the transitional area, and hence the inside of the suction chamber, so that it is always ensured that the reduced pressure necessary for a perfect massage effect is maintained in the suction chamber.
For a massaging apparatus according to the invention it has also proved advantageous if the parts of the suction chamber walls lying inside the suction chamber in relation to the ring-like closed end zone of the walls are formed just as roughly because this known measure offers, even for a device according to the invention, the additional advantage that an undesirable adhesion effect does not occur between a skin fold drawn into the suction chamber and the suction chamber walls. In this context it has proved favorable if the roughness within the suction chamber is at the most 10 xcexcm; however, it has proved to be particularly advantageous if this roughness lies in the range between 1.0 xcexcm and 5.0 xcexcm and preferably between 1.5 xcexcm and 2.0 xcexcm.